The Magic in Me
by marksmom
Summary: Harry is abused by his uncle and, as a direct result of the abuse, finds out something about his aunt and cousin he was not expecting.  Mentions of abuse, slash and het.  Rated M for possible situations in later chapters. *COMPLETE*
1. Chapter 1

Thank you to TrippingOverYou for the wonderful suggestions and for being my beta...KISSES!

~OOooOO~

The sound of someone frantically pounding on his bedroom door woke Harry out of a sound sleep. Figuring it was his Uncle Vernon, coming back to finish the beating he had been giving Harry earlier that day, he ignored it. Until he heard his Aunt Petunia's frightened voice, that is.

"Harry! Harry! You must get up! Please! Get up Harry!"

He painfully levered himself off of the bed and limped slowly to the door, sliding his glasses onto his nose. Waving his wand, the door creaked open to show his aunt and cousin standing in the hallway, bags in hand.

They both quickly moved into the room and shut the door behind them. Petunia looked imploringly at Harry and he waved his wand to lock the door once more.

"Mind explaining this to me?" Harry was still trying to get his body and mind to function together when he noticed the look of abject fear on his aunt's face. "What's wrong?"

Taking a deep breath to calm herself, Petunia looked at Dudley and then back at Harry. "Is the old man dead?"

Harry was shocked. "Old man? You knew Dumbledore?"

"Knew? He _**is**_ dead then? That would explain why the spell is failing." His aunt's voice raised in pitch as she gave in to her fear. She began to sob quietly.

"Spell...what spell? What are you going on about?" Harry was now completely confused. "Aunt Petunia, calm down. What spell? What are you talking about?"

"There's not time for that right now. You must take us to Hogwarts." When Harry showed no sign of moving, Petunia became more frantic. "_**Now**_, Harry!"

Realizing that his aunt was serious, Harry gathered his things and shoved them into his trunk, along with his broom. He grabbed Hedwig's cage and let her out onto the window sill. "Girl, meet me at Hogwarts." She hooted and took off out of the window. Harry grabbed his trunk, handed Dudley the cage and grabbed a book of Egyptian Runes off of the rickety desk by the window. He heard heavy thudding, as if a large object was being thrown against the door.

"Alright. Everyone grab onto the book. It's called a portkey. I'm only supposed to use it in an emergency, but if you're _**asking**_ me to take you to Hogwarts, it must qualify." His aunt and cousin each held a side of the book. Just before Harry could say the password, he heard the door to his room smash against the inside wall. He saw his uncle's puce coloured face in the doorway. "Emergency!"

All three people holding the portkey felt a strong tug behind their navel as they were propelled by the portkey to the Entrance Hall of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

~OOooOO~

Severus Snape felt the activation of the emergency portkey he had given Harry. It was linked to his magic, so that he would know if Harry needed him. He left his dungeon office, running the whole way. Harry was only supposed to use that portkey if it was a true emergency. He wondered how badly he had been beaten this time.

Severus had discovered the abuse Harry suffered quite by accident. He had come across Harry in the boys lavatory, in the dungeons, the first day back to class in Harry's third year. The amount of bruising, bleeding and broken bones had scared the man. He had honestly thought that Harry was not going to survive the wounds. Once he had carried Harry to the Infirmary, he had gone to Albus Dumbledore with the information.

_"Severus, to what do I owe this pleasure?"_

_"Headmaster, I need to inform you of a situation that I have discovered. Harry Potter is being abused while at his relatives' house."_

_"Nonsense! The boy exaggerates, you know that. I warned you that he was spoiled and would, most likely, use that as an excuse for more attention." The old man shook his head._

_"Headmaster, this is not an exaggeration. The boy is covered with bruises. He has cuts up and down his back and arms. This is **not** something to gain attention. I know what abuse looks like, or have you forgotten my situation?"_

_"Severus, he is placed with his relatives so that the blood wards keep him safe. This discussion is at an end."_

Every year since that time, Severus had met Harry at Platform 9 3/4 and apparated him to Hogwarts himself, so that Poppy could heal him before the other students arrived. It always took several days before the boy was able to function without pain, but even that was infinitely better than trying to move with openly bleeding cuts and broken bones.

Dumbledore had never forgiven him for trying to bring Harry's abuse to light. Severus was certain that Dumbledore had known of it, but was never able to prove it. Merlin knew he had tried.

It was only three weeks into the summer holiday, and Harry was using the portkey. If Albus were still alive, Severus would be rubbing his face in this. Time and again he had tried to get Harry removed to the Weasley's care, but Albus would have none of it.

Fortunately, Harry, Weasley and Granger had defeated the Dark Lord at the end of their sixth year. That threat was out of the way, but there was still the threat of Harry's uncle. As Harry was still technically underage, Minerva had been forced by the Ministry to send the boy back to _**that**_ house. Maybe now, now that Albus was dead, he could bring this to Minister Shacklebolt's attention.

He skidded to a halt in the Entrance Hall and was met by Poppy Pomfrey, who had also been alerted, and waited for the portkey to bring Harry to him. What he saw when the portkey arrived was not what he had expected. There was Harry, who collapsed on the floor immediately, but there were two other people with him. A tall, thin woman and a tall heavy-set boy. The boy was well muscled, but was still much larger than Harry.

Poppy ran to Harry's side and immediately began running scans on him. She spelled away his shirt, allowing her to see the bleeding cuts on his back and chest. She ran her wand over his arms before motioning Severus to her side.

"Hold him Severus. His arm's broken in three places and needs to be set. He's not going to like this." She tilted Harry's head back and poured a phial of Skele-Gro down his throat. She waved her wand over his arm, moving the bones back into place, so that the potion could heal the breaks. She began to heal the plethora of cuts on his upper body, taking her time, so that the scarring would be minimal. Harry screamed once as the Skele-Gro began to work, but was silent after that.

Severus laid Harry back on the stone floor and became aware of the stares of the two people who had arrived with Harry. He looked up and met the terrified blue gaze of Petunia Evans. He was shocked. What could have prompted this woman to come to Hogwarts? His gaze moved to take in the equally terrified gaze of the boy. _This must be the cousin_, Severus thought. _What had Harry called him? Ah yes, Dudley._

He stood and slowly crossed to greet the two. "Mrs. Dursley? I am Severus Snape, Deputy Headmaster of this school. I am not sure if you remember..."

"Yes, yes I remember you. Please, tell me, when did the old man die?"

Severus felt his eyes widen. "How did you know Albus Dumbledore was dead?"

"I could feel the spells weaken."

"What spells?"

She hesitated. "The spells masking mine and Dudley's magic."

"You-you're a witch? But Lily said that she was the only one." Severus couldn't understand exactly what she was saying, he was completely floored. "Why did Dumbledore mask your magic?"

"I only want to explain this once. Can we please wait for Harry to wake up? He deserves to hear this more than anyone else. My son already knows. I told him when I felt the spells start to weaken."

Severus nodded. "Poppy? Is it safe to take Harry to the Infirmary?"

"Yes, Severus, if you would? We'll get Minerva once we get there."

He flicked his wand and Harry levitated in the air, moving toward the Infirmary. Severus, Poppy, Petunia and Dudley all followed. The Dursleys kept their eyes trained on the floating figure.

~OOooOO~

Harry woke slowly, confused because he instinctively knew he was in the Infirmary at Hogwarts. Memories of what had happened flooded into his brain. His aunt asking, no...begging him to take her and Dudley to Hogwarts, his uncle breaking in the door to his room just before he activated the portkey and, finally, the excruciating landing on the stone floor of the Entrance Hall.

He slowly opened his eyes and looked around. His glasses lay on the side table next to him, but he couldn't seem to make his arm move to get them. He saw a slender hand pick them up and place them on the bridge of his nose. The world came into focus and the first face he saw was the worried face of his Aunt Petunia.

"How are you feeling, Harry?" The deep voice came from his right and he slowly looked in that direction. Severus sat on his other side, opposite of Aunt Petunia, holding his hand. Minerva McGonagall stood next to him.

"This time hurts worse, Severus." They had agreed that, in private, Harry would call Professors McGonagall and Snape by their first names. It still felt a little odd, calling Severus by his first name, but he was the closest Harry had come to having a father.

"You had more broken bones than Poppy originally thought. She found cracked and broken ribs and a hairline fracture in your jaw once we got you back here."

Harry nodded and looked back at his aunt. "You and Dudley weren't hurt when the portkey dropped us, were you?"

She shook her head. "No. Harry, there's something I need to tell you. I've been wanting to tell you for a while now, but Vernon wouldn't let me be alone with you, for fear that I would actually come to love you, and would stop him from hurting you."

He reached out and took her hand. "What is it?" He looked past her to see Dudley sitting on the bed next to him. Dudley tentatively smiled at him and Harry smiled back.

"The reason I asked you if Albus Dumbledore had died was because I felt the spells on myself and Dudley weakening."

"Why do you have spells placed on you?"

"To mask our magic."

Harry felt his eyes grow wide. "B-but...you're a muggle!"

"No Harry, we're not. I have just as much magic as your mother had, as does Dudley."

"Why, then? Why have Dumbledore mask it?"

"I was jealous of your mother, when we were younger. She was two years younger than me, and always so much better at everything. She received her letter from Hogwarts and I was jealous. I didn't have magic, or so I thought."

"What happened?"

"After Lily left for Hogwarts, Mother and Father began to notice that strange things were still happening around the house and wrote to Albus Dumbledore. He came and tested me. He found that I did, indeed, have magic. Mine just showed up later. He asked if I wanted to attend Hogwarts, in the same year as Lily, but I turned him down. I was still jealous of her. I demanded that he do something to remove the magic. He said that he was unable to do that, but would cast a spell on me to dampen or mask the magic. The spell had to be renewed every year, so he would meet us at the wizard's bank and re-cast the spell."

"What did you do after Mum graduated?"

"I arranged to meet him in The Leaky Cauldron."

"But, if your magic was dampened, how could you see it?" Severus was enthralled with the story. He had always wondered about Lily's sister, but had never taken the time to find out.

"I could always see it. Just as I can see this castle. I visited here, once, with my parents. They could see it also. I was told that we were something called squibs. I had to do a family tree for secondary school once, and my parents told me that we were from a long line of pure-blood squibs. I've always wondered, what is a squib?"

Minerva answered. "A squib is someone born into a magical family who does not have the ability to use magic. Even though your magic was masked, you are not a squib. You are a witch, and your son is a wizard."

"So, instead of being a Half-Blood, as I've always been told, I'm a Pure-Blood?" Severus nodded in response. Harry was stunned. This was something he had never expected. But, then again, he had never expected to be told that his aunt and cousin were a witch and wizard, either. "When did he start masking Dudley's magic?"

"Like me, he came into it late. It started before you left for your second year here. I met the old man at the Leaky Cauldron with Dudley, had him cast the spell and then had him remove the memory of it. He told me that he could continue to do that every year."

"It's not healthy for the mind to have memories Obliviated that way. Eventually, it would have rebounded, causing all of the Obliviated memories to be remembered." Severus looked at Dudley. "Do you remember meeting an old man with long white hair?"

Dudley nodded. "I started to remember about a month ago. Mum told me it was because the spells were ending."

"She's correct. As the spells wear off completely, you will begin to remember more, quite possibly everything that has been Obliviated. Do you want to remember?"

"I think so. I mean, I never really hated you, Harry. I just did what I was told to do. I was always afraid that Dad would hurt _**me**_, if I didn't. I'm sorry." Dudley looked at his shoes. He saw a hand come into his line of vision and looked up.

"Hi, my name's Harry Potter."

Dudley took his hand. "Hi, my name's Dudley Dursley." He smiled at his cousin and received a smile in return. Maybe, just maybe, this could work.


	2. Chapter 2

~OOooOO~

While Harry remained in the infirmary, Severus set about arranging a suite of rooms for Petunia and Dudley. He needed to ask Petunia some questions and hoped that he wouldn't offend either her or her son. The boy may only have been Harry's age, but he looked like he could do Severus some severe bodily harm. He led them to a suite of rooms just down the hall from the entrance to Gryffindor Tower. The castle seemed to have a twisted sense of humor, as the portrait making up the door to the suite was of Lily and James Potter, surrounded by Sirius Black, Remus Lupin and himself. Petunia stared at the portrait, a small smile lurking on her lips

"The castle doesn't like me much, does it?"

"Apparently you'll need to prove yourself to her before she'll trust you. Although, why she included me in the portrait, I'll never know."

Petunia looked at Severus. "You were Lily's friend, you've been protecting her son. I don't know how I know you've been protecting Harry, but you have. I remember the other two from Lily's wedding."

Severus snickered under his breath as the castle provided him with the password phrase. "About Time." The portrait opened and Severus ushered mother and son into their new home.

Petunia looked around in amazement. The suite was huge, consisting of two large bedrooms, a sitting area, a full bathroom and a kitchen/dining area. She and Dudley moved around the space, trying to acclimate themselves to the fact that they were going to be living in a magical castle. Dudley looked into the smaller of the two bedrooms and saw that it was decorated with moving photos of wizard boxers. To his astonishment, his instructor was prominently displayed in a photo. "Mum! Come here! Mr. Williams is a wizard!"

Petunia looked at the photo of the man who had taught her son to box. The man obviously knew that he'd had a wizard take the picture. She looked at Severus in confusion. "Did he know who we were?"

"Yes. When you approached him about instructing your son, he came to me and asked my opinion of your family. I didn't lie to him, but told him that, to my knowledge, you had not touched Harry, that it had only been your husband."

Petunia pursed her lips tightly. "Vernon reserved the worst of it for himself. He told Dudley to beat on Harry, but not hurt him too badly. That _**pleasure**_ he kept for himself. Dudley really hated doing that to Harry, at least once he got a good look at what his father had done." She looked at Severus with an almost pleading expression. "Harry is going to be alright, isn't he?"

"Poppy, Minerva and I have spent the last several years making sure that he gets healed immediately, on the first day of the school term. I have been meeting him at King's Cross Station and bringing him here myself. The injuries he has now are actually not as bad as those in previous years."

"Why didn't the old man take him away from us? I asked him to, the last time I saw him, and the time before that. I told him what was going on, why didn't he take Harry away?" Petunia started to cry and Dudley led his mother to sit on the sofa. Severus took the chair opposite and sighed.

"Mrs. Dursley..."

"Please, Severus, if we're going to be living here, you may as well call me Petunia. I have no intention of calling you Professor."

Severus nodded. "Petunia, then. I have been trying to have Harry removed from your home since he was thirteen. Albus Dumbledore refused to allow it. I can only assume that he thought if he kept Harry beaten and downtrodden, he would make a more effective weapon against the Dark Lord. Has Harry told you that he defeated that monster?"

"No, he didn't. I knew about this Dark Lord, from reading some of the letters between Harry and his friends when he was out doing chores. This is the same one who murdered Lily and her husband, I take it?"

"Yes, the very same. Petunia, I have some questions that I would like to ask you and your son. Would you mind answering them for me?"

"As long as we're able to answer them, I don't mind. Dudley?"

"No, I don't mind."

"Excellent. Did you know how harsh Harry's beatings had become?"

"I knew some of it. Vernon liked to gloat afterward, so he would force me to listen to him. I had threatened, once, to leave him and take Dudley, but he turned on me and told me he would kill me if I left. I didn't know that he had involved Dudley until last year."

Severus looked at Dudley. "And you?"

Dudley hung his head slightly. "I knew about them. I didn't know how bad they had gotten until we were fourteen, though. I never saw many marks until I caught Harry in the bathroom trying to wash the blood off. I asked why he hadn't looked like that that morning, and he said that he used something called glamours to cover them up until he could get to school. He said that there was a teacher who came to get him from the station so he could get them healed. I tried not to touch him after that, but Dad wouldn't let me get away with it. He threatened to beat _**me**_ unless I helped him."

"Now that you have joined the wizarding world, do you intend to divorce him?"

Petunia sighed and nodded. "Yes, I do. I can't ever go back to him. I won't let Dudley go back, either."

"I don't plan to, Mum. Now that we're away from him, I don't ever want to go back."

Severus looked thoughtful. "Harry has one more year of school left. I believe that we can arrange for you both to learn how to use your magic. Since it has been suppressed for so long, though, it may be difficult for you both to handle. Harry, Minerva and I can teach you over the rest of the summer, and when the term starts, you can both join the first year classes. It will give you a basic knowledge of how to handle your magic. If you wish to stay, then arrangements can be made for later. I know that Minerva plans on asking Harry and his partner to be instructors starting the term after they graduate."

"His partner?" Petunia was astonished that she hadn't known that her nephew was gay.

"Yes, he is in a relationship with my godson, Draco Malfoy. They have been together for a little over a year now. I will assume that the beatings got worse shortly after Harry returned to you after his fourth year. If so, I think that we can guess, fairly accurately, that your husband found out about Harry's relationship with Draco."

Petunia looked at Dudley who nodded back. "Yeah, Dad found out. He seemed to get more...violent...after that. Said it was one more thing to beat out of him."

Severus stood and began to pace the floor. "I won't hide this from you, Harry almost didn't survive the last beating your husband gave him before he returned here for his fifth year. The injuries required that Harry be transferred to St. Mungo's Hospital. It is a wizarding hospital located in London. He missed two weeks of the term before he was allowed to return here." Severus paced some more. "I will have Minerva arrange for you to see a solicitor, Petunia. You need to be divorced as soon as possible. If you remain here, your husband cannot reach you. I will warn you, though, you may be required to give up memories of some of the things you have seen. It is not a painful process, just tiring."

"I will do whatever it takes. Can he also be charged with child abuse for what he's done to Harry?"

"Yes, I planned on doing that anyway. Your memories, Dudley, will be of more use than your mother's." He turned to the door. "I will go speak with Minerva about this, please make yourselves comfortable. I will return to show you to the Great Hall for dinner."

Petunia and Dudley nodded and Severus left the suite, closing the portrait softly behind him. He would make sure that Vernon Dursley paid for his crimes. No one was allowed to hurt the boy he considered a son.


	3. Chapter 3

_**Thank you to my wonderful beta, TrippingOverYou**!_

~OOooOO~

Petunia and Dudley were sitting next to Harry's bed the next morning, speaking with him about all that was going to happen with them, when the doors to the infirmary were thrown open and two men walked in. _Good Heavens_, thought Petunia, _they have to be the most handsome men I have ever seen!_

The younger of the two was quite stunning, with his white blonde hair and stormy grey eyes. The older man was a little daunting to look at, seeing as he was looking down his nose at them. She watched as they stalked over to the other side of Harry's bed and sat. The older man sat stiffly on the bed next to Harry's, while the younger man sat directly on Harry's bed and proceeded to lean in and kiss him. _This must be the boyfriend then._

The older man's eyes met hers and he raised one eyebrow as if to ask who the hell she was and what the hell she was doing here. She returned his gaze with a steady one of her own. After a moment, the man shifted his eyes slightly, conceding defeat. The younger man had finished kissing her nephew and turned his eyes on her and Dudley. Dudley shrank back in his chair, trying to avoid the other boy's gaze. He was new to this world and didn't want to offend anyone by staring.

"You must be Mrs. Dursley. I am Draco Malfoy and this," he gestured to the older man, "is my father, Lucius Malfoy. My godfather, Severus Snape, contacted us yesterday about your arrival and asked that we consult our solicitor about your divorce. He will arrive tomorrow morning to speak with you and will be accompanied by two men called Aurors; they are like your muggle police. They will be taking memories from you and your son, so that your soon-to-be ex-husband can be prosecuted under our laws for child abuse."

"Is there a difference between your laws and ours?"

Lucius Malfoy spoke. "Yes, Mrs. Dursley, there are quite a few differences. I should have asked, would you prefer to be known as Mrs. Dursley or Ms. Evans?"

"I believe I will go by my maiden name. I want nothing more to do with Vernon Dursley."

He looked at Dudley. "And you? Would you like to keep your name or go by your mother's maiden name?"

Dudley thought for a moment. "I think I'll take Mum's name." That said a lot, coming from the boy who had looked up to his father so much when he was younger.

"Very well, Ms. Evans. Once the memories have been looked at, we will be sending a team of Aurors to your former residence to arrest your husband. The divorce proceedings will take place at the same time as the trial for the child abuse."

Harry broke in. "Do they want memories from anyone else, Lucius? I think mine, Severus' and Poppy's would be appropriate for that part of the trial."

The man's eyes softened slightly when he looked at Harry. "Yes, we've already spoken with Severus and Minerva. If you will excuse me, I will speak with Poppy now." He stood and strode toward the office in the back of the infirmary.

Draco smiled at Harry then at Petunia and Dudley. "You'll have to forgive my father. Hearing about your situation brought back some horrible memories of his own parents. His father abused him badly, along with his mother. Unlike you, though, she had no way out. He eventually killed her. Father and Mother have made it a mission of theirs to assist anyone who is in an abusive relationship."

"But, Vernon didn't abuse me."

"You may not have considered it abuse, but threatening your life should you have left him _**is**_ abuse, as is forcing your son to beat Harry. We knew what was going on in regards to Harry and were working to get his guardianship transferred to Severus, but as he had no knowledge of what that monster was doing to you, we couldn't get you out. Now that we know, we can help you. All you need to do is tell the truth and let Father help you." He turned to Harry. "Professor McGonagall gave me our letters when we arrived. As soon as Madam Pomfrey releases you, we're all going to Diagon Alley."

"All of us?" Harry was confused as to who was going.

"Yes, all of us. You, me, Father, Mother, Severus, your Aunt and your cousin. We need to get our supplies and your Aunt and cousin need to be fitted for robes and wands."

Harry looked at his Aunt. "Do you want to learn how to use your magic?"

She nodded. "I think it would be best. I don't think I would feel safe without at least learning how to control it. I would like to learn more, Severus said that it might be possible for us to stay here and attend first year classes when term starts."

Draco leaned in and whispered into Harry's ear. He pulled away and stared at his boyfriend. "Really? She wants us to teach after we graduate? Wow!" He thought for a moment. "What does she want us to teach?"

"She wants me to take over Transfiguration and you will, of course, be taking over Defense Against the Dark Arts. She felt that you would be the only one appropriate for that position, and now that Voldemort is dead, the curse on the position will have ended."

"So we have one more year and then we will be teachers. I think I like that." Harry looked at Petunia. "As soon as we get you two your wands, we can start teaching you the basics. In the meantime, we can work on teaching you how to feel your magic."

Dudley's brow creased. "How do we do that?"

Draco sat up straight and looked at him. "Close your eyes. Now, relax and just breathe for a moment." He watched as both followed his instructions. "I want you to concentrate on the beat of your heart...if you need to, put your fingers on your pulse. As you concentrate on your heartbeat, you should slowly become aware of another pulsing, just below that, almost in time, but a little bit slower than your heart. Can you feel it?" Petunia and Dudley nodded. "Good, that pulse is your magic, it is connected to everything that is in you and everything you do. Every decision you make will be affected by your magic. Now that you're aware of it, you will always be able to feel it. Now, open your eyes."

Dudley opened his eyes and everything looked a little brighter to him. Next to him, his mother was having the same reaction. "Is the magic supposed to make everything look brighter and more clear?"

"Yes, now that you can feel your magic, everything you see, everything you do will be affected by it. Now that you have embraced the fact that you are a witch and a wizard, your magic will assist you for the rest of your lives."

Petunia looked at Harry. "Is this what happened with you, when you first came here?"

"No. I didn't have anyone to teach me how to do that until I was in third year. Severus taught me how to do that during that year, which is why my magic was really wild and uncontrollable for a long time. That's why I was able to blow up Aunt Marge that summer before my third year. Then, add to that the fact that I am extremely powerful. When Dumbledore died, he gave his magic to me and when I destroyed Voldemort I also absorbed some of his magic. At least that's what Severus and Minerva think."

Draco stared at Harry. "So that's what Uncle Sev meant when he said you were like a magical sponge."

"Mmhmm. I seem to absorb magic if someone near me dies or passes on. I don't know if it has to be a violent death, but that seems to be all I've been around." Harry looked at his hands. "I know I absorbed Sirius' magic when he passed through the Veil, and Remus' when he and Tonks were killed. I also gained some of their memories. I remember things I wasn't alive for, like when my father and Sirius would torture Severus when they were in school." He looked up at Petunia. "You were right when you said that my father wasn't a very nice person. Well, not all the time anyway. I think that Mum must have balanced him, somehow."

Petunia nodded, thinking about her sister charitably for the first time in years.

~OOooOO~

Severus stood in the doorway of the infirmary and watched as Draco and Harry began teaching Petunia and her son the most basic of all magical endeavors, how to feel your own magic. He remembered being very angry that Albus had not taught Harry how to do that, and remembered teaching Harry himself. Harry's magic had been very wild and it still required a lot of effort on the boy's part to keep it controlled, even now. He was pleased, though, to see Petunia had caught on quickly; she would need all the control she could get. She was exposing herself to magic, voluntarily, for the first time since she was thirteen years old. Her magic would be much more difficult to control than her son's since he was much younger. He felt Lucius walk up beside him.

"I think, I must watch carefully or I will have two members of my family enthralled by two members of that family."

Severus turned to look at him. "What do you mean by that?"

"Sev, I've never known you to wear your heart on your sleeve, don't start now. You've been staring at her for the last ten minutes."

"Actually, Luc, I was thinking about how well she's grasped the concept of feeling her magic. She's basically ignored its existence for the last twenty seven years, she's going to need Harry around her to absorb the excess magic from her."

"Do you really think he's like a magical sponge?"

"I do. He's so damn powerful, he makes Dumbledore look like a squib and The Dark Lord had nothing on him. You saw him during the battle, he made it look effortless, and both you and I know it couldn't have been."

"What about the boy?"

"He's an interesting one. He knows how to box, and is apparently fairly good at it if Devon Williams is to be believed. His magic is not as powerful as his mother's, though. It won't take as much for him to control his. The boxing has already taught him much in the way of control."

"Do you think that he's not as powerful because of the muggle blood?"

"Not just any muggle blood, but the blood of an abusive muggle. That will water down some of his magical impulses; they may come back with time, but I doubt it. He will make a fair wizard, better than Longbottom at any rate. I should think he'll be somewhere along the lines of Weasley or Zabini."

Lucius looked at his friend. "I still say that you need to guard your heart around that one. She's never known real love, just what that arse gave her. She could be more of a danger to you than Lily ever was."

"Unfortunately, my friend, I think you may be right."


	4. Chapter 4

_**Thank you to my wonderful beta, TrippingOverYou**!_

~OOooOO~

The next day Poppy released Harry from the infirmary and plans were made to go to Diagon Alley the following day. Narcissa was happy that she was going to get to dress someone in proper clothing. She had been trying to get Harry to allow her to dress him, but he kept turning her down. Petunia said that as she had no knowledge of proper clothing to wear in the wizarding world, she would let Narcissa pick out clothing for her. Draco and Lucius were going to help Dudley pick out clothing and Harry finally relented and said that Draco could help him shop for new clothes. Petunia was worried about how they would pay for everything.

"Don't worry about it, Aunt Petunia, I'll take care of it."

"But Harry, where will you get the money? When Dudley and I left, we didn't think that far ahead; we brought no money."

"My parents left me money, Aunt Petunia. How do you think I've been paying for school all these years? If I'd told Uncle Vernon about it, he would have tried to take it from me."

Petunia nodded, not saying anything because she knew it was the truth. She was almost in tears; here was her nephew, whom she had treated horribly, and he was going to share his money with her and her son. She felt his strong arms close about her as she gave in to the tears. "Why are you being so understanding? We behaved horribly to you."

"Whether you realize it or not, Aunt Petunia, you had no choice. It was self-preservation, either you or me."

They were interrupted by three men walking through the doors of the Great Hall, where everyone had gathered after breakfast. Lucius made the introductions. "This is Sterling Foster, our solicitor, he will help you draft the petition for divorce. These men are Aurors Whittleby and Phillips; they will be handling the questioning for the child abuse part of the trial. Gentlemen?"

Sterling Foster secluded himself with Petunia and Dudley, asking questions carefully, so that the wording could be used against Vernon. He drew out things about Petunia's marriage that she had been very reluctant to admit, like the fact that Vernon almost had to force her to have sex with him after their wedding night. He had been so brutal that Sterling said that it could be considered rape.

The Aurors busied themselves with questioning the others and removing memories to be used for the child abuse aspect of the trial. They were disgusted by what they saw when they began to remove Harry's memories. How could anyone treat a child, let alone the saviour of the wizarding world, that way? The two men looked at each other and nodded; this muggle would be getting the Kiss. They were further disgusted when it came time to remove memories from Petunia and Dudley. They saw the depths of their fear for the man they called husband and father. Once they were done, the Aurors collapsed, emotionally drained, onto one of the benches at the table.

"Well, I think we can be safe in saying that Vernon Dursley will not get away with this. The memories you have all provided will definitely have him sentenced to Azkaban for the rest of his days, if not have him receive the Kiss. The divorce proceedings will take place first, unless you want to be declared his widow if he receives the Kiss? Either way, you're going to get everything he owns."

"No, I want the divorce first. I want him to know, before he dies, that I divorced him. He will go with no wife or child by his side."

Severus nodded in agreement. "Will the Wizengamot take into consideration the fact that Ms. Evans and her son had their magic dampened to keep him from finding out about it?"

"Most assuredly Professor. That is going to be one of the main points of both of the trials. Once Ms. Evans reached her legal majority, at seventeen, she didn't need to continue to mask her magic. Her memories show that she had already met Vernon Dursley and knew she couldn't show him that she was a witch. Neither could she allow her son's magic to be known. He, most likely, would have killed them both."

The Aurors and the solicitor rose and said their goodbyes. Sterling told Petunia that he would be in touch with her as to the date of the trials. The Aurors were joined by two of their colleagues and they left to arrest Vernon Dursley at his place of work. As they left the Great Hall, all four Aurors cast spells so that their robes turned into the uniforms of muggle policemen.

Auror Phillips returned later that day to let them know that Vernon had been taken into custody, screaming and fighting the entire way. Auror Whittleby was currently at St. Mungo's, getting care for the bites and scratches that he had received from Vernon. That would also be added to the evidence against him. Phillips refused to tell them exactly what had happened when they arrived at Grunnings, but they could all tell that it had been unpleasant.

The next morning found everyone in the Entrance Hall, waiting to go to Diagon Alley. Narcissa was positively vibrating with pent up energy and excitement; she felt the overwhelming need to rid Petunia of her horrid muggle clothing and get her into something that would accentuate her looks. Petunia wasn't a bad looking woman, and Narcissa had seen Severus watching her from a distance. All they needed was a push in the right direction.

Draco watched his mother, amused at her antics. He knew what she was planning and had no problems with what she was doing. He felt that Severus needed someone in his life, and if Petunia Evans was that person, then so be it. He looked at Harry and realized that he knew what was happening too. He had a slight smirk on his face as he watched Narcissa fuss over his aunt. Lucius and Severus were discussing which line of clothing might best suit Dudley's body style. Harry had never known Severus to be all that concerned with clothing before, but apparently being around the Malfoys meant that you learned something about fashion.

Draco took his hand and brought it to his lips. "Thank you for letting me dress you, finally. I really would like to see you get clothing that makes the most of the looks I've fallen in love with."

"Well, I couldn't exactly say 'no' anymore if my aunt and cousin are allowing your mum and dad to dress them. Besides, you're right; I need new clothes and you're the only one I trust enough to give me fashion advice."

Minerva walked into the Entrance Hall and pulled Petunia aside. "There is a fund for witches and wizards who don't have the money to buy their supplies. Your wands will come out of these funds, as well as any books you will need to help get you started." She looked at Harry. "I assume you are paying for their clothing, as the fund will not cover that."

"Yes, I'm paying for the clothing and robes, and any other things they want to pick up along the way." Lucius shook his head.

"I'm afraid not, Harry. We will cover the clothing for your aunt and cousin. Your aunt is being kind enough to allow Narcissa to dress her, so it is our pleasure. You may buy their robes and any fripperies they may want."

Harry was about to argue, but a nudge from Draco warned him not to. "Let them, they want to so badly. Mother was beside herself when your aunt said that she would be honoured to have Mother dress her. Besides, judging from what she's wearing now, your aunt needs all the fashion help she can get."

They left by portkey to Diagon Alley, landing in an area specifically designed for portkey travel. The ground had been padded and had a slight disillusionment charm cast on it, so that no one was embarrassed by how they landed. Once again, Harry was the only one who didn't land on his feet. "Bloody Hell, I hate traveling by portkey!" Draco snickered as he helped Harry off of the ground.

"One of these days, Love, we'll get you to land on your feet."

"Don't count on it. I can't even come through the floo standing. Alright. Narcissa? You're going to take Aunt Petunia with you, right?"

"Yes, Harry Dear. We're going to Madam Malkin's first, so we might all want to go there at the same time...just to get the robes out of the way." Everyone agreed and set out for the shop. After about an hour, both Dudley and Petunia had been fitted for three sets of robes, two for winter and one for summer. Dudley had looked a little frightened when the tape measure came at him, but he had stood his ground and let it do its job. Harry had grown a few inches since the last time he had bought robes, so he also bought three sets.

From Madam Malkin's, they split into two groups, Narcissa and Petunia heading to Narcissa's favorite dress shop, Dudley following Harry, Draco, Lucius and Severus into a shop that catered to young well-to-do men. Both Dudley and Harry subjected themselves to the ministrations of the tailor and found themselves inundated with clothing, the likes of which they had never seen before. Dudley found that he liked the materials and styles that he was trying on. They were a bit more sedate than what he was used to, but he liked them anyway. Draco was just thrilled that Harry was agreeing with whatever he suggested. He was having the time of his life.

With the promise of having their purchases sent to them at Hogwarts, the men left the tailor and moved on to more exciting things. Knowing Narcissa's love of clothing, Lucius felt it might be hours before they saw the women again. They headed for the Apothecary's shop, to get two full first year kits and two seventh year kits. Both Draco and Harry bought extra potions ingredients, knowing that the potions this term would be hard to brew. Severus nodded, encouraging them to buy certain things, so that they would have their own supply and wouldn't need his stock. The went to Flourish and Blotts next. Severus picked out the books that Petunia and Dudley would need for the term, Lucius following him with a floating basket. Dudley accompanied Harry and Draco as they picked out their books.

"Finally taking Ancient Runes, I see; and is that an Arithmancy book in your basket?"

Harry blushed lightly. "Yes, I finally gave in to your pestering. I'm not taking Arithmancy, though, I'm just getting the book so that I won't be a complete dunce in the subject." He saw Draco's raised brow and gave him a mock glare. "What? Can you imagine me sitting with the third year Gryffindors?" Draco shook his head and kept silent; he had wanted Harry to take Arithmancy last year, but Harry had declined, asking what he would need it for. Oh well, Draco could always tutor him, should he need the extra knowledge.

Harry picked up several books on wizarding etiquette, so that his aunt and cousin didn't embarrass themselves the way he had when he'd first come to Hogwarts. If he'd known it was just plain rude to not accept an outstretched hand, even if you didn't like the person, he would have taken Draco's hand on the train. Harry had apologized for that, once Draco and Lucius had explained it to him. Dudley saw several books that fascinated him, but Harry told him he didn't need them, as they were already sitting in Harry's trunk. Draco picked up a couple of books written specifically for newly wed witches, so that, if she wanted to, Petunia could learn how to keep house by magic. He also included two cookbooks for her, so that she would be able to make the foods she was used to by using her magic.

Lucius looked at his pocket watch and saw that Narcissa's hand was pointing to 'Waiting' and guided them to the desk to pay for their books and then out of the store. They had already decided that they would get the wands after the clothing, so it would give them all a chance to relax while Petunia and Dudley were testing wands. They were to meet the ladies at Ollivander's, but when they arrived, they only saw Narcissa, standing next to a lady wearing a form-fitting blue dress. Harry looked around for his aunt, never noticing that Severus was openly staring at the lady next to Narcissa. Harry only looked back around when he heard Dudley ask, "Mum?"

The change in Petunia was amazing. Gone were the frumpy house dresses that Harry was used to seeing; they were replaced by the latest styles in witches wear. She had also been to a stylist, because her hair was now cut so that it framed her face in loose waves and was short enough that she wouldn't have to fuss much to get it to style properly. Draco nudged Harry and pointed to Severus. Harry turned to see a completely gobsmacked look residing on the usually dour professor's face. Both Harry and Draco realized that it wouldn't take much pushing to get Petunia and Severus to see each other in a romantic light, once her divorce was granted. Harry was actually looking forward to that pushing.


	5. Chapter 5

_**Thank you to my wonderful beta, TrippingOverYou**!_

~OOooOO~

Once the wands were purchased, they went to one of the small restaurants on the main street. As they were seated, Harry noticed that they were being stared at by a group of people in the back of the restaurant. He smiled and walked over to them, before getting hugged by each member of the group. The Weasleys had had a change of fortune after the war, with some help from Lucius. He had explained the long-standing feud between them and he and Arthur had decided that it was time for it to end.

After hugging Harry, Molly walked over to the other table to speak with Narcissa and be introduced to Petunia. Ron looked at Harry carefully before hugging him; he knew about the abuse and had been told that Severus was taking care of it each year.

"You alright, mate? Was it bad this time?"

"Yeah, but Uncle Vernon won't be able to touch me again. He's been arrested and is waiting for trial. Aunt Petunia and Dudley actually saved me." He explained about them being a witch and a wizard and told the rest of the group that the trial for the divorce and child abuse would be happening soon. Casually dropping his name, he got the wait staff to move their tables together so that they were all able to talk. Arthur introduced himself and his family to Petunia and Dudley, letting them know that, if they needed anything from the Ministry, he would be happy to help them. Arthur was now the assistant to Kingsley Shacklebolt and had access to many strings he could pull. Privately, he told himself that he would speak with Kingsley about making sure that Vernon Dursley got the Kiss. Harry was like another son to him and Arthur wanted to make sure that the muggle got what he deserved. He was still fascinated by muggle technology, but not by the depths of depravity that some of the muggles themselves showed.

After they were done with their meal, Ron leaned over to Harry and asked, "What's with Snape? He hasn't taken his eyes off of your aunt this whole time."

Harry smiled and had Draco drag his chair over so that they could talk. "We think that he's only a small push away from falling for Aunt Petunia. Narcissa took her shopping for clothes this morning while Draco, Lucius and Severus took me and Dudley off for the same thing. You see the results."

Ron looked at Harry's new clothing and nodded. "Yeah, you needed to get rid of all of those baggy things you were wearing. Did Draco pick out all of yours?"

Draco nodded and looked proud. "Does it show? Yes, he finally let me dress him."

Ron snickered. "Makes a change from undressing him, right?" Both Draco and Harry flushed at Ron's words since they hadn't gone that far in their relationship.

"No, I meant the effect of Aunt Petunia's new clothing on Severus, you git!" Harry was still flushing lightly when his aunt looked at him with concern.

"Are you alright Harry? You look flushed." Now that all eyes were on him, Harry blushed brightly, rivalling the Weasleys' ability to turn red.

"I'm fine Aunt Petunia, just a joke between me, Ron and Draco." He elbowed Ron in the ribs, gaining a slightly pained grunt in return.

They parted ways with Molly promising to owl Petunia to discuss when they could all get together again. Molly was not quite as forgiving as her spouse, but when she heard what Vernon had done to all three of them, she was willing to try. No one deserved the years of physical torture that Harry had been put through, but by the same token, no one deserved the years of mental torture Petunia had been forced to endure, either.

Lucius offered Narcissa his arm to escort her back to the portkey site, all the while staring at Severus. The darker man blushed slightly and offered his arm to Petunia, who gladly accepted. Draco smiled as he slung his arm around Harry's shoulders.

"It shouldn't take too long, he's already smitten with her...just one small push and..."

"That's my mum you're talking about, you know." A deeper voice came from behind Draco and he turned to see Dudley glaring at him.

"Alright, you tell me what's going on then. Do you see the same things we do?" Draco wasn't going to have Dudley throw a spanner into the works now.

Dudley looked thoughtfully at his mother and Severus, noting the closeness of their bodies and the way the taller man leaned down to hear what Petunia was saying. The whole picture spoke of intimacy...if not right then, then in the near future. His shoulders sagged. "You're right. Tell me about him, just so that I know what kind of man he is. After Dad, I don't want to take any chances on her being with another abusive husband."

Draco and Harry took turns telling Dudley all that they knew about Severus. They started with the abuse he had endured as a child and took it all the way up to the way that he had been helping Harry since his third year at Hogwarts. Dudley nodded; a man who had been so helpful with helping Harry through his abuse was far less likely to be abusive to someone else.

The good day everyone had been having was destroyed by the men waiting for them upon their return to Hogwarts. Aurors Whittleby and Phillips met them in the Entrance Hall and informed them that the trials were to take place the next day.

Petunia looked at Severus and he looked back. "It will be fine. We will all be there for you, Dudley and Harry. My testimony will probably be what convicts him of child abuse." She let his words sink in before taking his hand and leading him around a corner, out of sight of everyone else.

Harry put a hand on Dudley's arm. "Are you alright?" Dudley had gone pale and looked like he wanted to hide somewhere safe and stay there for about a year or two.

"I don't know. He's my father, but I don't want to see him again. He did things to you that no person should do to another. He did things to Mum that I didn't know about until the solicitor came. He deserves what he gets, but I'm not sure I can look at him."

"You don't have to, Mr. Evans." Auror Phillips had overheard their conversation and decided to ease the boy's fears. "We can cast a spell on you so that you will see and hear everyone except him. We were going to ask your mother if she wished for us to do this for you."

"He's just turned seventeen, so you can ask him." Harry looked at his cousin. "Do you want to use that spell?"

Dudley nodded emphatically. "Yeah, I do. I really don't even want to know he's there; if I can't see or hear him, it will make saying what I have to say a lot easier."

Leaving Harry with his cousin, Draco walked closer to Severus and Petunia, trying to overhear their conversation. Lucius noticed and nodded to his son in approval. He stood, with his back against the wall, just around the corner from where his godfather and Harry's aunt stood talking.

"Are you going to be alright with this? There is a spell that will keep you from seeing or hearing him. I believe that one of the Aurors has just offered it to your son...would you like it as well? It may help you to get through your testimony a little easier than if you could hear him yelling at you."

"I-I think I may want that spell. I'm not sure I could get through that without breaking down, if I have to listen to him. He will yell, of that you can be certain; he's done enough of that over the years. I don't want to hear any more. Will everyone else be able to hear him? Will I be able to see everyone else?"

"Yes to both questions. The spell would be cast only on you and Dudley. If Harry wants it, you must give permission for it to be done, as he is not yet seventeen and you are his guardian."

There was a moment of silence during which Draco's imagination ran wild. He could almost see his godfather leaning in to place a kiss on Petunia Evans' lips. He pushed away from the wall, but just as he started to walk away, he heard it...

"Petunia." A slight whisper, definitely Severus' voice. Draco walked just a few steps more and turned his head slightly. He was right! Severus was snogging Harry's aunt! He slowly made his way over to his father, grinning like a madman.


	6. Chapter 6

_**Thank you to my wonderful beta, TrippingOverYou**!_

~OOooOO~

Everyone woke early the next morning, the trials weighing heavily on their minds. Petunia knew that this was going to be the most difficult thing she had ever done. At one time she had loved Vernon Dursley, but that love had been shattered by his cruel behaviour. Dudley had looked up to his father once, but no longer did. After having seen what he had done to Harry when they were fourteen, he knew he couldn't respect a man who would beat a child, even if that man was his own father. Harry was worried for his aunt and cousin. This trial was going to be hardest on them; they were going to have to give testimony against their husband and father. He was only going to have to testify against a brutal man to whom he held no blood relation or former emotional connection.

Severus and Lucius escorted them to the Ministry building in London; taking them down in the lifts to the 9th floor, where they had to take the stairs to the 10th floor courtrooms. They were once again met by Aurors Whittleby and Phillips who led them into a small chamber next to the courtroom.

"Ms. Evans, you and your son have expressed a wish to make use of the Audi Videat Malum spell to keep you from seeing or hearing the defendant. Do you wish for your nephew to receive the spell also?" **(1)**

Petunia looked at Harry. "Do you want it?"

"Is there a way to have only part of the spell cast on me? I want to be able to see him, but not hear him."

Auror Whittleby nodded. "Yes there is." He looked back at Petunia. "Do you give me your permission to cast this spell on your nephew?"

"Are you sure you want to do it that way Harry?" He nodded at Petunia and she looked back at the Aurors. "Yes."

The Aurors raised their wands and cast the appropriate spells on Petunia and Harry and then on Dudley. Then, they were all ushered into a packed courtroom. Since the fall of Voldemort and the beginning of Kingsley Shacklebolt's term as Minister of Magic, the courtrooms had been deregulated slightly, and the press and certain concerned individuals were allowed entry into them. They took the seats that the Aurors indicated as being reserved for them and waited.

Petunia couldn't see Vernon, but she knew when he was brought into the courtroom; the man on her right stiffened and gently touched her hand. She was grateful to Severus for being there for her. She'd never thought, after how miserable she had made him when they were children, that he would be supportive of her. She knew that she felt more for Severus than she should, but she couldn't seem to help herself. It was as if her heart had taken over her brain and forced out any rational thought.

Severus leaned over slightly and whispered, "Are you alright?"

She nodded, not really trusting her voice. She sat back and turned her hand palm up to grasp his. Looking up into his dark eyes, she thought she saw a small glint of respect in them, along with something else that she couldn't identify. She looked over at Dudley and smiled at him. He smiled back and nodded, letting her know that he couldn't see Vernon either. She leaned forward slightly and saw that Draco had his arm around Harry and was whispering into his ear. She was concerned because he'd only had half of the spell cast on him...he could still see Vernon. She began to pay attention when her solicitor was called to present the case for divorce.

Sterling Foster was well worth the money that the Malfoys paid him. He laid out all the salient points for everyone to see; the ongoing sexual abuse from the first night of their marriage, the death threats, the threats to beat Dudley and, as a minor point, Harry's abuse. Petunia could see the reactions of everyone listening, and from their glances and stares, she knew that Vernon was most likely screaming at her. She picked up Dudley's hand and was surprised to find that he was shaking slightly.

"Are you alright?"

"Not sure, Mum. I can't hear or see him, but I know he's there and that he's trying to talk his way out of it. It's really weird."

"Severus said that we will get used to the spell the longer it remains on." Dudley nodded and went back to listening to the solicitor.

The divorce part of the trial went smoothly. Once the Wizengamot had seen the memories taken from Petunia and Dudley, they were quick to grant the divorce. Petunia Dursley became known as Petunia Evans, her son became known as Dudley Evans and all of Vernon Dursley's worldly goods were transferred to Petunia. Severus winced at the vitriol spewing out of Vernon Dursley's mouth; of course he didn't know that neither his ex-wife nor his son could hear him and Severus was happy about that.

Next came the part of the trial that Severus was dreading. He didn't know what kind of effect this would have on Harry. He knew that Harry could see the man, but he couldn't hear him; he hoped it would be enough to allow Harry to get through this without breaking down.

The memories taken from each of them were shown in a kind of slide show, the memories bleeding one into another with no pauses between them. The memories that gained the most attention were the ones from Vernon himself; the members of the Wizengamot could almost feel the elation Vernon had felt when beating Harry.

Severus glanced at Harry and saw that he had his head buried in Draco's neck, refusing to look. He only hoped he didn't have to Obliviate Harry after this; seeing the memories and hearing them again was bound to be traumatic for the teen. Harry did surprise him, however, when he stood to give his testimony against his uncle. He spoke in clear, precise words, facing Vernon Dursley the entire time; his face could have been carved from a block of granite for all the expression that he showed. Petunia stood when called and did the same, but facing away; as she answered some of the questions, you could hear the tears in her voice. Dudley had an easier time of it; he was already used to blocking unwanted thoughts and emotions out from the rigorous boxing training.

Once their testimony was over, the court allowed Vernon Dursley to speak, but had to silence him after only a couple of minutes. His words and actions proved to the Wizengamot, as much as the memories had, that the man was guilty and showed absolutely no remorse for the abuse he had heaped on his nephew year after year. He continued to scream and yell silently, straining against the magical bonds holding him in place. The Aurors had been told to use them as he would, most likely, try to attack his former wife, child and nephew.

The Wizengamot called for a short recess, to deliberate over what they had seen and heard. There was not a doubt in anyone's mind that the man would be convicted, they just needed to decide on the sentencing.

Severus knelt down in front of Harry and picked up his hand. "Are you going to be alright? Do you need a calming potion?" Harry didn't remove his head from Draco's neck but nodded in acceptance. Severus handed Draco the phial and watched as Harry downed the contents quickly. As he took the phial back, he looked at Draco who mouthed the words 'Not Good' at him. Severus nodded to show that he understood and continued to hold Harry's hand.

After about an hour, the members of the Wizengamot filed back into the courtroom to deliver their verdict. Vernon was brought to the centre of the open courtroom floor to await sentencing. He had obviously been given a calming draught because he just stood there, his massive body heaving with every breath he took.

"Vernon Dursley, you have been charged with numerous counts of abuse of a magical child, neglect of a magical child and wrongful imprisonment of a magical child. If this were a Muggle court you would have been sentenced to life imprisonment, most likely in solitary confinement. However, this is not a Muggle court and we do not need to follow their recommendations. We find you guilty on all counts. You will be taken immediately to Azkaban Prison where you will be given the Dementor's Kiss. The Dementors, if you do not already know, live off of the emotions of human beings. When a human is given the Dementor's Kiss, their soul is literally sucked out of their body; they become a living shell of a human being. You will then be kept at Azkaban Prison until your life ends naturally. We, the Wizengamot, have ruled thus and your sentence will be carried out with all haste."

When the member of the Wizengamot returned to his seat, the witnesses began to applaud the court's decision. The abused magical child was The Boy Who Lived; there could have been no other outcome to this trial that the public would have accepted.

~OOooOO~

Everyone was silent as they left the Ministry building in Whitehall. Lucius spoke with Severus and they decided to use the portkeys that Minerva had provided, so that they would be taken directly into the infirmary at Hogwarts. Apparating would have left them outside of Hogwarts' gates and they would have had to walk the rest of the way. Severus had asked for them to be keyed to the infirmary because he had a feeling that at least one member of their party was going to need heavy sedation for the remainder of the day, most likely Harry.

They arrived in the centre of the large open ward and Poppy hurried out of her office to greet them. Severus had been correct; Harry collapsed sobbing into Draco's arms as soon as they regained their balance. Petunia and Dudley both wrapped their arms around the two men, supporting Harry as he broke down. Poppy guided the group over to Harry's bed and had them back away so that she could give him another calming draught and, if that didn't work, a Dreamless Sleep potion would. Draco curled up next to him in the bed, forcing Severus to quickly enlarge it so that neither of them fell off. The calming draught seemed to work and Harry just clung to Draco as he continued to cry. After only a short time he succumbed to sleep. Draco wouldn't leave him, so the others moved away, closer to the doors.

Severus looked around at everyone. "I suggest that we go to my quarters and try to relax. We can call for tea and I have a supply of scotch for anyone who wants it."

~OOooOO~

**1- Audi Videat Malum= See no evil, hear no evil (Latin)**


	7. Chapter 7

_**Thank you to my wonderful beta, TrippingOverYou**!_

~OOooOO~

After the trial, life started to become a little less hectic for everyone. With Lucius Malfoy's assistance, Petunia sold the house at Number 4 Privet Drive to a newly-wed wizarding couple and took up residence at the castle with Dudley. Severus, Harry, Draco and Minerva began to teach them the basics of using their magic and potions. Minerva didn't feel it was necessary for them to go through all of the classes, such as History of Magic and Defence Against the Dark Arts, so they were just taught the ones that would be the most helpful, like Transfiguration, Potions and Charms.

Severus made sure that they understood exactly what they were doing when it came to learning potions. Since they hadn't had the build-up courses that the first and second year students had, he took his time with them and held a tight rein on his notorious temper; Severus didn't think it would be a good way to start things off with the newly single object of his affections by blowing up at her. Fortunately for him, it seemed that both mother and son had inherited Lily's ability with potions. Harry took after his father in that he was better at Charms and Transfiguration...the Defence skills he'd had to learn on his own, the hard way.

Petunia was enjoying learning about her magic. She had never thought, all those years ago, that she would ever use the gift she had been given because of the jealousy she had for her sister and the sheer torture the man she had married had put her through. She especially enjoyed the Potions tutoring that she and Dudley received from Severus. Just by spending time with him, she was learning so much about him. She learned of his absolute passion for the art of making potions and she learned of his love for Lily.

At first she had thought that he might be attracted to her because of her sister, but after time, she began to realise that his love for Lily had been that of a brother. Severus dropped little hints about seeing her outside of the classroom and possibly going for dinner some evening, but, because she really couldn't believe that he would honestly want to be with her, she didn't pick up on them.

Severus finally declared defeat and went to speak with Dudley. He found him practising wand movements with Harry and Minerva in the Transfiguration classroom. "Minerva, may I borrow Mr. Evans for a moment?" She nodded and Dudley followed him into the corridor.

"Yes sir?"

"Dudley, I would like to ask your permission to ask your mother to dinner some evening."

Dudley looked at the man standing in front of him. After the talk he'd had with Harry and Draco, he wasn't against his mother dating Severus, he just wanted to be sure that he would treat her well. "I have no objections, but I want to know where you're planning to go with this, is this just something to pass the time or are you serious about her?"

Severus took a deep breath before answering. "I am very serious about wanting to date your mother. I have been alone for the majority of my life and your mother has filled an empty space in my heart, a heart that I am rumoured not to have. I, however, have no idea how to go about doing this; I've never dated before."

Dudley could feel his jaw drop as the older man's words registered in his brain. This man, who was old enough to be his father, had never dated anyone! "Never?" The word was weak, just a thread of sound.

Severus shook his head. "No...I didn't consider myself to be safe for anyone to date because of my spying on the Dark Lord. Couple that with the fact that I know I'm not anywhere close to being attractive and you have my reasons for being single up to this point."

"Who said you're not attractive? I mean, you're not handsome like a film star, but you're not ugly!"

"What's a 'film star'?"

"It's a...never mind, it would take too long to explain. You're not ugly; whoever told you that needs to have their head examined. Seriously, look at the man my mother was married to...he was ugly, both inside and out."

"Will you help me?" It went against everything inside of Severus to ask a boy for assistance, but he knew that Dudley _**had**_ to know more than he did about dating.

"Yes, I'll help. I'll talk to her to see if she realises that you've been trying to get her to go out with you for a couple of weeks now." At Severus' raised eyebrow, Dudley smiled. "She may not have seen it but I sure did. Give me a day or two and I'll let you know what she says."

Severus nodded, grateful beyond belief to the boy for his help. He didn't want to mess anything up and, with his non-history of dating, he was more than likely to do just that.

~OOooOO~

Two days after his conversation with Dudley, Severus was approached by Petunia herself. He was sitting outside on a stone bench by the lake when he felt a presence by his side. He looked up and saw Petunia smiling at him. He rose and gestured for her to sit next to him and then resumed his seat.

"Dudley spoke to me yesterday. I will admit to being a little hesitant to believe that you actually want to date someone who used to put you down and torment you when we were children."

"I realise now why you did it...you were jealous. Jealousy is a very strong emotion and it runs hand in hand with hate. You were jealous because of the magical abilities that you didn't think you had inherited. I've seen what that type of jealousy can do; our caretaker, Argus Filch, is a squib and he is horribly jealous of anyone who can perform magic."

"I'm also nervous about dating. Vernon and I married straight out of secondary school and I had never dated until he asked me. Once we started dating, he wouldn't let me out. He threatened to make sure that I never dated again and...well...I'm not a beauty, so I just accepted it."

Severus could feel his anger rise at her words. "Who told you that you're not beautiful? Whoever said that to you was wrong!"

Petunia laid a calming hand on Severus' cheek. "Just as whoever told you that you're not attractive was wrong. Dudley told me about that. You are attractive; it may not be in the classical sense of the word, but, to me, you are very attractive."

Severus placed a hand over hers, holding against his cheek as he slowly leaned toward her. Petunia met him halfway and pressed her lips to his. Severus really had no idea how to go about this kissing business...he had only been kissed once before and that had been in the hallway, right after they had been told about the trial. Petunia seemed to realise this and coaxed him into following her lead. He decided to forget thinking about it and just went with what felt right.

He slid his arms down her sides until they wrapped themselves around her waist and pulled her closer to him. Petunia's arms twined themselves around his neck as she gave herself over to the kiss. Severus gently parted her lips with his tongue and proceeded into uncharted territory. As they continued to kiss each other, parting only when it was necessary to breathe and diving right back in, Severus only had one coherent thought..._Why did I wait so long for this?_


	8. Chapter 8

_**Thank you to my wonderful beta, TrippingOverYou**!_

~OOooOO~

One week after the 'Kissing Experiment', as Severus termed it, he and Petunia went on their first date. He had asked Lucius where to take her; Lucius had thought about it for a moment before answering.

"Do you want to impress her or just take her for a nice relaxing dinner?" Lucius hoped Severus decided on the second option, as he didn't think that Severus was up to where he had taken Narcissa for their first date; although, Paris _**was**_ lovely this time of year.

"Somewhere we can talk and be ourselves. I don't think I would do very well with trying to impress Petunia, not to mention that I don't know how."

"Well, there is a very nice Italian restaurant in Diagon Alley. It's not formal and it has a very relaxing atmosphere. There is also a new restaurant in Hogsmeade that specialises in French countryside cooking. Either place should be what you're looking for. We need to get some colours into your wardrobe if you're going to be dating Miss Evans. She doesn't look to be the type to just accept black as your favourite colour."

"What's wrong with black?"

"There's nothing wrong with it, as long as you add another colour as an accent. For instance, wearing a dark green shirt with black trousers is fine, but unless you want to look like a muggle blackboard, I would suggest not wearing all black."

Severus sighed and agreed to allow Lucius to take him shopping that evening so that he would have something appropriate for his first date with Petunia. Green wasn't such a bad colour, but he would draw the line at most other colours; and definitely no red!

~OOooOO~

Petunia was anxiously pacing the floor in front of the hearth in her suite. Dudley, Harry and Draco all watched her pace, finding her nervousness a little unsettling. Harry and Draco had arrived not that long ago, after leaving Lucius to deal with Severus. His bout of nerves was just as bad as Petunia's, if not worse; after all, Severus had never dated before and was extremely conscious of his lack of experience in that field.

A knock fell on the door and Petunia stopped pacing, a hand creeping up to rest at her chest, like she was trying to hold her stomach in place. Dudley stood to answer the door, ushering Severus inside. Once he saw Petunia, his obvious nervousness dropped away at the sight of hers. He walked to her side silently and raised her hand to kiss the knuckles, tucking the hand into the crook of his elbow as he escorted her, just as silently, out of the door.

The three boys stared at the door for a moment, then looked at each other and shrugged. Lucius joined them not long after and they began to work on spell-casting with Dudley, determined that he should get the beginner spells correct before term started in two weeks.

~OOooOO~

Severus side-along apparated Petunia to the Italian restaurant in Diagon Alley that Lucius had recommended. Once they were seated, Severus looked at Petunia nervously. "I've never...I mean, I haven't dated much, so this is all new territory for me. I really have no idea how this is done now."

Petunia smiled and covered his hand with hers. "I haven't either, so why don't we discover how it's done together?" Severus' answering smile had her moving her hand so that their fingers could twine together. It didn't matter to either one of them that they were the subject of a few interested glances and one intrepid female reporter's attention. Their meal went slowly, they took their time with everything, not willing to rush the evening.

Afterwards, they decided to go for a walk in muggle London, taking in the sights and speaking about the upcoming school term. Petunia was looking forward to being able to learn more about her magic than she already had and she knew that Dudley was too. She told Severus that she was really looking forward to being able to learn more about potions; if she would admit it to herself, though, the reason she was so looking forward to it was the time was spent in his company.

"You do realise that my personality is going to undergo a radical change? I have an image to uphold and that image is what keeps order in my classroom; I can't have students messing around with the potions and hot cauldrons. I've seen too many explosions and injuries occur when students aren't paying attention to what they're brewing."

"I understand, Severus. With something as dangerous as boiling liquids and high heat, I can see why you would need to be more strict about behaviour in the classroom."

Severus tucked Petunia's hand into the crook of his elbow as they walked, making her smile and tighten her fingers, pressing them into the dark green material of his shirt. She was enjoying their first date, but then she saw the reporter again. It was the same woman who had been at the restaurant, and now she was following them.

"Severus, who is that woman? No! Don't turn your head to look, just casually glance to your left."

Severus followed her instructions and saw her. Rita Skeeter. "Damn! She's the worst reporter there is!"

"Why?" Petunia couldn't understand the scowl gracing Severus' face. The woman didn't look to be _**that**_ bad. "What has she done?"

"Has Harry ever told you about the Tri-Wizard Tournament?" When Petunia nodded, Severus continued. "After it was over, a student had been killed by the Dark Lord's followers even though Lucius had tried to protect him. Rita Skeeter found out about what had happened and tried to claim that Harry was insane and had killed the student himself. Excuse me for a moment..._Accio_ Rita Skeeter's notepad and quill!" The items flew into Severus' outstretched hand and, with a quiet '_Incendio!'_, the notepad and quill burst into flames. Fortunately, Severus had thought to cast a disillusionment spell around himself and Petunia before he did this.

The reporter looked around frantically, trying to find both her quarry and her notepad before realising that both were gone. With an angry look on her face, she backed into an open doorway and disapparated. Petunia stared at Severus with a look of wonder. "Will I be able to control my magic so that I can do things like that?"

He smiled down at her. "With practise, yes. _Accio_ is a fairly easy spell to learn, and easy to control. _Incendio_ is harder to control because you are working with an element; elements are much harder to control and can spiral into something quite dangerous if not used properly. Promise me you won't try using that spell until Minerva or I deem that you are ready to learn it."

Petunia nodded quickly. "I promise." She didn't want to abuse the abilities she had only begun to learn how to use; she wasn't going to risk harming herself or anyone else by not knowing how to handle a spell. She intertwined her fingers with Severus' and pulled their hands to her lips. As she placed a small kiss on the back of Severus' hand she asked, "Will you teach me how to use the other one, the _Accio_ spell? I think that one would be very helpful."

Severus nodded as he tried to calm his heartbeat; his heart rate had sped up from the moment Petunia's lips had touched his hand. "I will. If you want to start learning it tonight, I suggest that we return to Hogwarts. I don't know how long it will be before Rita Skeeter decides to come back with a new quill and notepad." He wrapped an arm around her waist and apparated them to the gates in front of Hogwarts.

Before he led her though the gates, and back onto the school property, he drew her into his arms and pressed a kiss on her lips. Petunia responded at once and deepened the kiss, turning it into something neither one was willing to stop. After realising that oxygen was not an option, but a necessity, Severus ended the kiss and stared at Petunia, his breathing rapid and shallow, matching hers perfectly.

"I-I don't know what's happening to me. I've never felt this way before...all I want to do is hide us away from everyone for a long while, so that no one can find us. What's happening to me?"

Petunia raised a hand to cradle his cheek and lightly pressed her lips to his again. "I think it's called discovering that you have feelings, Severus. I'm having the same feelings. I don't want this to go too fast, though. I want to have what I've never had before...a courtship. From what you've said and what Dudley told me, you've never had that either. I want this to be special for us; I want it to be something to remember."

Severus agreed and grasped her hand gently. "Miss Petunia Evans, will you consent to allow yourself to be courted by me, Severus Snape?"

She smiled and nodded. "Mr. Severus Snape, I agree to your courtship and am looking forward to finding out exactly how a wizard courts a witch. Be prepared...I want the whole thing. I'm going to be looking up wizarding courtship practises, so be on your toes!"

Severus chuckled as he led Petunia through the gates and up to the castle. He was looking forward to finding out exactly how to court his Petunia. Maybe he should ask Draco, he did court Harry after all.


	9. Author's Note

_**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**_

I am sorry that it has taken me this long to get this note posted. I have had an issue with writer's block for this story for quite some time. I am currently working on the final chapters of The Magic in Me and am hoping that it won't be too long before you're reading them. I want to thank you for bearing with me and reading this story.

There are only about 2-3 more chapters to this story, including an epilogue and they deal strictly with Severus and Petunia, with the occasional interactions from Lucius, Draco, Harry and Dudley thrown in for assistance.

Thank you to TrippingOverYou, my beta for bearing with me and to Cathcer1984 for her assistance with the courting rituals.

Marksmom


	10. Chapter 9

_**Thank you to my wonderful beta, TrippingOverYou**!_

_**Thank you to Cathcer1984 for allowing me to borrow her Ritual of Courtship rules...this would have taken so much longer without her permission!**_

~OOooOO~

After consulting Draco and several books on the subject, Severus felt ready to start the courtship process. He sent a note to Dudley asking him to meet him at the lake that evening. When Dudley met him at the tree next to the lake, Severus took a deep breath and turned to face Petunia's son.

"Dudley Evans, I wish to ask your permission to formally court your mother, Petunia Evans, with the end result being a proposal of marriage."

Knowing it was coming, Dudley had been coached by Draco how to respond to this request. "Severus Snape, I willingly give my permission for you to formally court my mother, Petunia Evans. Beware, though, any harm that befalls her by your hand will result in cessation of any and all courtship proceedings. Care for her as if she were already yours and do right by her."

"I give my word as a wizard that no harm shall come to your mother by my hand and I will protect her, in as far as I am able, from harm from other witches and wizards."

"Then you have my unconditional approval to court my mother, Petunia Evans, with the intention to arrive at an agreement of marriage." Dudley held out his hand for Severus to shake, sealing the courtship.

As Severus took the younger man's hand, he felt their magic shift around them, like an eddy of water, before settling back down. He was now bound by the Rules of Courtship; it was his duty, and his pleasure, to make Petunia as happy as he possibly could.

Severus knew that there was one more thing that had to be said. "Dudley please inform your mother that, during the courtship, there can be no verbal contact between us. If I need to speak with her about anything, all of my comments and questions will be spoken to you or Harry. You will then get the answer from your mother and relay it to me. This is the most cumbersome part of the courting ritual; please let her know that if there was another way to do this, I would. The ritual lasts for fourteen days; she will receive something from me on each of those days, showing that I care for her, can protect her, can support her and that I do love her. I may require the assistance of Harry, Draco and yourself to be able to do this, so I now ask for your help. If I need your assistance, may I count upon receiving it?"

"Yes, I will help you in any way necessary to make the courtship easier on both you and my mother."

Severus sighed in relief. "Thank you. Remember, from this moment, until the next fourteen days are over, I will not be able to speak directly to Petunia, nor will she be allowed to speak with me. Please make sure that she understands this."

"I will."

As Dudley turned and left him to walk back to the castle, Severus realised that it was going to be a very frustrating two weeks.

~OOooOO~

The next morning during breakfast, when the owl post arrived, a beautiful raven soared into the Great Hall with the owls. Everyone wondered who owned such a beautiful bird and they were surprised when the raven landed in front of Petunia. As she was seated down the table from him, Severus was able to watch her reaction to his first gift. Harry showed his aunt how to remove the scroll from the raven's leg; Severus held his breath as she unrolled the parchment.

_Dearest Petunia,_

_As I have invoked the Ritual of Courtship, my first gift to you is one that holds meaning for you and you alone. _

_Your life, whether you knew it or not, was always intertwined with that of your sister. You were inseparable before I met you, you took in and raised her son and now you are learning to use the same gift that she was given._

_My gift to you represents your relationship with Lily._

Petunia unrolled the scroll more and two flowers fell out into her hand. One was a beautiful white lily, its stem permanently wrapped around the stem of a perfect, blood red petunia. She could feel the magic in the flowers and asked Harry if he knew what it was.

"It's a preserving spell; the flowers will never wilt or die; they will always look like that. Are they for you and Mum?"

Petunia nodded as tears came to her eyes. She knew she couldn't speak with Severus, so she let her eyes and smile thank him.

~OOooOO~

Severus had to think long and hard about the next step of the courtship; he had to prove to Petunia that he could, and would, protect her. He called Harry to him and told him what he wished for him to do. Harry smiled and nodded, knowing that this would be something that his aunt would appreciate.

The next morning, the raven once again soared into the Great Hall at breakfast, just as they were all finishing their meal. Being careful of the bird's sharp talons, Petunia removed the small scroll and gave the beautiful bird a piece of her bacon.

_Dearest Petunia,_

_Today is the second day of our Courtship. I wish I was able to speak with you, so that I could reassure you that all of this is necessary for the ritual._

_My gift to you today is the gift of conversation with someone close to you. Harry will be speaking with you directly following this meal. Ask him questions once he has finished telling you his story; he will be more than happy to answer them for you._

_My gift to you represents my ability to protect you._

Petunia looked at Severus and nodded; she allowed her hand to be taken by her nephew and accompanied him out of the Great Hall. Minerva leaned over and spoke into Severus' ear.

"Your courtship is going well? I thought that I recognised the raven as being yours. What do you have Harry doing?"

"He will tell her how I protected and healed him every year from the time of his third year until now. Had I been able to remove him from their guardianship, I would have done so, but Albus prevented me from doing it."

Minerva drew back and looked at Severus, concern in her eyes. "Why would he do that? Didn't he care what went on in that house?"

"Remind me to share with you my memory of the day I told him of Harry's abuse. I still can't think of it without becoming angry." Minerva nodded and went back to her tea.

Harry drew his aunt outside of the castle and over to a bench along one wall. "Aunt Petunia, I know that Severus can't speak with you during this whole thing; Draco courted me last year, so I was in your position. He has asked me to tell you exactly how he protected me from the late Headmaster and everything he did to try to stop Uncle Vernon." Harry drew a deep breath and began to speak again.

"Severus found me in the boy's lavatory in the dungeons on the first day back to class for my third year. I was trying to stop the blood from some of the cuts on my back and arms. Just as he opened the door, I collapsed from the blood loss; he physically carried me to the Infirmary even though he was getting covered in my blood at the same time. He stayed with Poppy, to help heal me, and then he went to the Headmaster's office to confront Dumbledore about the abuse.

"Professor Dumbledore refused to allow me to be removed from Number 4, stating that the blood wards he had put up protected me from the Death Eaters. To my knowledge, every year Severus went back to the Headmaster and requested that I be removed from your guardianship and placed somewhere else, either with the Weasleys or with him; Dumbledore refused every time. From my fourth year through my sixth year, Severus met me after Uncle Vernon dropped me off at King's Cross and side-along apparated me to Hogwarts so that he and Poppy could heal me.

"When I came back for my fifth year, Severus almost didn't get there in time. I was bleeding so badly from the injuries Uncle Vernon had given me that, by the time Severus got me to the Infirmary, I had almost bled out. Uncle Vernon had stopped the car on the way to the station and had beat me one last time before the term started; I honestly think that he was hoping I would die and you wouldn't have to deal with me again. I spent the first two weeks of the term in St. Mungo's hospital, trying to recover from my wounds. That was the year that Draco found out and told his father. Draco and I hadn't gotten along too well before that, but, once he knew what I went through every summer, his opinion of me changed. He asked me out in the beginning of our sixth year."

By this time, Petunia was crying. She had known about some of the beatings, but not that Vernon had actually stopped to beat him on the way to the station. "Did he ever stop on the way to the train station again, or was that the only time?"

"That was the only time he stopped; but it just got worse when I got back the following summer. He decided that being gay was just one more 'freaky' thing to try to beat out of me. Severus decided, after what I looked like when I got back to Hogwarts at the beginning of last term, that he would give me a portkey so that I could get to Hogwarts if Uncle Vernon decided to try to kill me. Ron, Hermione and I had destroyed Voldemort during my sixth year, so I didn't have to worry about him anymore, just Uncle Vernon."

"Harry, please, do me a favour...don't call him 'Uncle' anymore. He's not your uncle, since I'm divorced from him, and he doesn't deserve the title. Just call him Vernon or Mr. Dursley if you can't bring yourself to call him by his first name."

Harry nodded in acceptance. He had hated having to refer to the man as 'Uncle', but as long as Aunt Petunia was married to him, that's what he was. "Severus tried, all those years, every year, to have me placed with either him or the Weasleys. He figured that, since he was a spy, the relationship could be kept a secret and no one would know other than us. When Draco told Lucius, he began to search for a way to get me away from you and somewhere safe. Severus was really the only option because the Weasleys were, at the time, extremely poor and had too many mouths to feed as it was. I didn't know that Un-Vernon had been essentially torturing you, too. I knew he was forcing Dudley to do what he wanted, but I didn't know about you." Harry sighed. "I wish I had known about you being a witch; maybe I could have seen what Severus could have done for you. He's always been there for me...someone to talk to and vent to. He's really a great person, although most of the students don't think so because of what he has to do to keep order in his class." Harry paused for a moment. "Do you have any questions you want to ask?"

Petunia shook her head, still trying to control her tears. Severus had definitely protected Harry as much as he could for the last four years; if only the Headmaster hadn't been so set against Harry leaving their house. "Just so you know Harry, I tried to get the old man to take you out of there, too. I pleaded with him every time he renewed the spells on me and Dudley, but he wouldn't listen. He knew what was going on...he knew and did nothing. Severus said that he thought it might be because the old man wanted you to be a more effective weapon. Did he truly think of you that way?"

Harry looked at his hands, thinking before answering. "I hope not, but it seems that way. I had hoped that Dumbledore actually cared about me in some small way, but I guess not. He kept telling me that I needed to stay with you for the protection and that it was to save my life that I was living there. No matter what I told him, he never believed it; he always said that I was exaggerating the situation."

Petunia put her hand on top of his. "Well, now you won't ever have to deal with that again. You are here and safe now, so are Dudley and I. I couldn't be happier with our situation the way it is now."

Harry grinned slightly. "And you have a very honourable man courting you, too. I'd say that your life is about to get so much better than it was just three months ago. I want you to be happy and if Severus makes you happy, I get a better deal."

Petunia looked confused. "What do you mean?"

"I look at Severus like I would a father and you're my aunt. If you decide to accept him, I'll have a ready-made family."

Petunia hugged her nephew tightly; he had just given his complete approval for her and Severus to marry, if that's where this went.


	11. Chapter 10

_**Thank you to my wonderful beta, TrippingOverYou**!_

_**Thank you to Cathcer1984 for allowing me to borrow her Ritual of Courtship rules...this would have taken so much longer without her permission!**_

~OOooOO~

It was now the eleventh day of the courtship ritual and the first day of classes. As it was a Wednesday, Severus was not looking forward to the day. He had the Slytherin and Gryffindor first years for Potions; it would be the first time he would have Petunia and Dudley in class. He and Dudley had already worked out that Severus would give any instructions to Dudley and he would relay them to his mother. Everyone in the school had found out what was going on this morning when his raven had landed in front of Petunia with that day's gift.

_Dearest Petunia,_

_You will always have whatever support I have to give you. I will always stand beside you, no matter the circumstance, letting you know that you can always lean on me, should you need to. You cannot know the thrill I feel when I see the excited look in your eyes when you have correctly performed a spell or when you realise that, yes, you are here and you are finally becoming who you were meant to be._

_I will always be there for you, unconditionally, to make sure that you have everything you need and will always succeed in what you want to do._

_My gift for you today is the proof of that support._

As she had unrolled the scroll further, a small phial rolled out into her hand. It contained a silvery liquid with a few strands of darker silver material floating in it. She had held it up, so that she could see it better, and had heard a slight gasp from the other side of the table. She looked up and saw Harry's friend Hermione staring at the phial.

"Those are someone's memories! Who gave them to you?" Professor McGonagall had explained their presence the night before, at the feast, and all of the Gryffindor table had been very welcoming. Harry now leaned across the table and quietly explained to Hermione and Ron what was going on. Ron's eyes shot to the head table and then back to Petunia; he slowly smiled at her and nodded.

"Harry has a pensieve that he could let you borrow. When do you have a free period?"

Harry promised to meet her after their first class, as they both had a free period then. However, first, she had to get through her first class...Potions with Severus.

The classroom filled quickly with the chattering students as Petunia and Dudley found a table together at the front of the class. They were receiving some strange looks from the Slytherins, but the Gryffindors were already accepting of the two older students, one obviously the other's parent. The door flew open and then slammed shut as one more person entered the classroom; Professor Severus Snape had arrived. He quickly stalked to the front of the classroom, his robes billowing out around him.

"You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potion-making," he began. He spoke in barely more than a whisper, but they caught every word; Snape had the gift of keeping a class silent without effort. "As there is little foolish wand-waving here, many of you will hardly believe this is magic. I don't expect you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses...I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, even put a stopper on death — if you aren't as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach." **(1)**

Petunia finally understood what Harry meant when he said that Severus had a way with words. She was held in rapt wonder, staring at the man; the rest of the students were similarly affected. As he went on to ask questions, she wondered if she would ever be able to reconcile the man in front of her to the man sending her beautiful, thoughtful gifts each morning. Severus finally asked a question that she knew the answer to.

"Who can tell me the difference between monkshood and wolfsbane?" Petunia cautiously raised her hand. "Mr. Evans, please relay the answer from Miss Evans, if you would."

Petunia leaned in and whispered the answer to Dudley who looked back at Severus. "They are the same plant, also known as aconite or Devil's helmet."

"Correct. Five points to the house of your choice."

Petunia leaned in again and whispered to Dudley. "Gryffindor, Sir."

"Very good...thank you Mr. Evans." Severus knew that there would be rumours about this very strange first class, but it could not be helped. He only hoped that Petunia knew enough to say very little to the other students.

~OOooOO~

After Harry had explained how a pensieve worked, Petunia carefully poured the memories into the open bowl. She watched the silvery strands swirl around in the liquid for a moment before touching her face gently to the surface of the liquid. She found herself standing on the opposite side of the courtroom from where she had been seated for the divorce and child abuse trials. She watched as Severus placed his hand on top of hers and the other Petunia looked at him, turning her hand palm up so that their fingers could lace together. The look in Severus' eyes was humbling; she had never thought to see anyone look at her like that. She had been too busy trying to sort things out about the trial and Vernon to see the look for what it was at the time; but seeing it now, she was able to see the strength behind those eyes and knew exactly when Severus made the decision to support her in whatever she did. She ignored the ranting coming from Vernon. She was glad that she had decided to use that spell during the trial; she wouldn't have made it through without it. She watched as Severus kept looking at her with respect and something else in his eyes. She now recognised that other look as being the beginnings of love. It was amazing; they had been thrown together less than a week before that time, but Severus had already begun falling in love with her.

The memory bled into one from the child abuse trial. It was after she had given her testimony and returned to her seat; Severus was speaking to her but she wasn't responding to him. A worried expression crossed Severus' face and he placed an arm around her shoulders, pulling her to his side. Petunia couldn't remember this having happened, but that didn't mean that it hadn't. There was so much about that day that she either couldn't or didn't want to remember; it didn't surprise her that this was one of those things. She watched as Dudley sat back down in his seat and took her hand, looking up at the dark, worried eyes of the taller man on her other side. Dudley nodded at him and grasped her hand more tightly, giving what support he could. She watched as Severus leaned in and began speaking quietly into her ear. The Petunia on the other side of the room closed her eyes and nodded her head slightly, leaning into the strength of the man at her side.

The memory ended and she found herself falling backwards into a hastily conjured chair. She looked up at Harry and back at the pensieve. "Do you know what is in those memories?"

Harry shook his head. "No, nor do I want to. What is there is between you and Severus, it is none of my business. Those memories were to show his support of you; is that what they showed?"

"Yes...I don't think I will ever doubt that he does support me. The memories showed his support of me during a time that I think I needed it most."

~OOooOO~

The next morning, the raven once again swooped down in front of Petunia. She and Dudley had chosen to sit with Draco this morning, at the Slytherin table. The bird had been confused for a moment, circling over the Gryffindor table, but then had seen her sitting at the table on the other side of the room. It flew down and landed directly in front of her plate and held out its leg, displaying the next scroll. She removed the scroll and fed the dark bird a piece of sausage from her plate, petting its feathers as she did so. The raven preened and looked at the head table as if asking for permission to allow the familiarity with this person; Severus nodded and the bird continued to allow Petunia to stroke its head and back. Once the sausage was gone, the raven turned and looked at the woman, nodded its head and flew off out of the high window.

Draco was in shock; he had never seen Uncle Sev's raven allow anyone but him to touch it, let alone pet it for that length of time. He watched as Petunia unrolled the scroll and began to read; after only a few words, she re-rolled the scroll and whispered to Dudley before gathering her things and leaving the table. She walked over to Harry and spoke with him before the two left the Great Hall altogether. Draco looked back at his godfather and was surprised to see a worried look on the man's face.

_Dearest Petunia,_

_This letter is for your eyes alone. Please take it somewhere private so that you can read it._

_Only three more days, including today, and then we may speak again. Not being able to say a single word to you has been extremely trying on my patience; never mind what it's doing to my emotional state._

_Today's gift is about trust._

_I know it's supposed to be how you can trust me, but I have the feeling that was already covered when Harry spoke to you for the second gift and when Draco told you about me helping to raise him, when Lucius wasn't there, for the third gift. This is about how I am willing to trust you. The phial that you received with this letter contains some of the darkest memories I have. I will never watch them and refuse to allow anyone else to do so, except for you. These memories are from when I was a child and from when I first joined the Dark Lord's ranks as a Death Eater. I leave it up to you whether or not you watch them, but I wanted to entrust them to you. _

_Giving you these memories, leaving them in your care, takes them away from where they had been hidden from the world. The only other people still alive who would have memories this horrible are Lucius Malfoy and your nephew. All three of us had basically the same childhood and Lucius and I share many of the same memories of the time spent in the ranks of the Death Eaters. Harry's memories of the Dark Lord and his minions are of a far darker nature than any memory I could ever have. I do know that he has removed most of them, so that he doesn't remember them clearly; they have essentially faded, like these memories have for me._

_I will understand if you do not wish to continue with the courtship ritual after viewing these memories, should you choose to watch them. I am not proud of the things I have done, but, know this, I will **NEVER** repeat those actions._

_I anxiously await your reaction to my gift, as strange as it is._

Petunia held up the phial after folding the letter and putting it in her robe pocket. The strands of memories floating in the silvery liquid were black and thorny looking. It must have hurt Severus to have removed those memories; Petunia didn't want to think about the pain it had to have caused to have them in Severus' head. She looked from the phial to the pensieve and back again; Petunia gathered the pensieve into her arms and carried it to the door.

When she opened the door, Harry looked up from where he was leaning against the opposite wall. "Are you not going to watch them?"

"No...Severus gave me the choice and I chose not to view them. They are apparently not pleasant memories and I want to know him for who he is now, not who he was then. He can tell me about the memories later; I don't want to watch his pain."

Harry gave his aunt a slight smile. "I understand. I have several phials of memories that are locked away; I won't ever watch them and the only good thing that could happen to them is if they were destroyed. Unfortunately, it's impossible to destroy them; if I tried, they would go into a large collective pensieve at the Ministry of Magic building, where they would be open to public view. No one ever needs to see what is in those memories." He held out a hand. "Do you want me to return the phial to Severus? I have Potions for my first class."

Petunia nodded and handed the phial to Harry. "Please let him know that I did not view them; tell him that I didn't want to see his pain."

~OOooOO~

Severus had not seen Petunia since she had left the Great Hall during breakfast. He was worried that she would no longer wish to be courted by him once she had viewed his memories. Those memories would make or break this relationship; he was almost hoping she had decided not to view them. The door opened and Harry walked in; as he closed the door, he wandlessly cast several locking and silencing spells. Sometimes the boy's power amazed him.

"Aunt Petunia asked me to give these back to you. She chose not to view them and said that she didn't want to see your pain. She also said that she wanted to know you for who you are now, not who you were then. She wouldn't tell me what they were, but judging from their appearance, they're memories of your time with Voldemort."

Severus flinched slightly when Harry said the name, but regained control quickly. "Some of them are, others are from when I was a child. I don't know if you knew, but I was abused, too. It was not on the same level as yours; my father never drew blood with his beatings, only when he broke my nose."

"I wondered how it got to look the way it does; in the pictures I've seen of you from when you were very young, your nose didn't look like that."

"No, it didn't. My father refused to allow my mother to heal my nose after each time he broke it; after several breaks, it began to look like it does now."

"Is there a way to fix it? I know muggles have plastic surgery to do that; is there a way to do it magically?"

"There is, but it is quite painful; I wouldn't be able to take a pain potion before or during the process. I've gotten used to my appearance, there's no point in changing it now."

"If Aunt Petunia asked you to do it, would you?"

Severus thought for a moment. Would he willingly put himself through the pain that he knew the procedure would cause? Yes, for Petunia he would. "If she asked me to do it, I would. But she would have to ask without any coaching from either you, Draco or Lucius." Harry nodded in agreement. He had a memory of the pictures he had seen of a young Severus...he would have to show it to Aunt Petunia.

~OOooOO~

When the owls arrived the next morning, the raven was conspicuously absent. Petunia was disappointed when she received no gift from Severus in the post. As she hadn't been allowed to speak with him, she didn't know how he had reacted to her choosing not to view his memories. She sighed and began to turn back to the table when a loud pop came from just behind her chair. Startled, she turned around and saw a strange looking creature standing behind her. It was about three feet tall and was wearing a pristine white pillowcase over its scrawny body. It had large blue eyes and the largest ears Petunia had ever seen on a creature that small. It stood before her and smoothed out imaginary wrinkles in its pillowcase; Petunia noted the large letter P embroidered onto the left shoulder of the pillowcase and wondered what it stood for.

"You is Miss Petunia Evans?" The creature's high squeaky voice was almost comical, but Petunia kept herself from laughing.

"Yes, I am Petunia Evans."

It held out a large blue envelope and handed it to her. "Sweet's master wishes for Sweet to be giving this to Miss Petunia Evans." With that, the creature disappeared with another loud pop.

Petunia turned around to ask Harry what the creature was but noticed that he was staring at the head table. She followed his gaze and saw that Severus was eating his breakfast as if someone was going to take it away from him. Even though his eyes were determinedly on his plate, there was the bright red stain of a blush decorating his cheeks. The creature had come from Severus; but that still didn't explain what it was. "Harry? What was that...creature?"

"That, Aunt Petunia, was a house elf from the Most Ancient and Noble House of Prince. He was here to bring you something from his master."

"What is a house elf?"

"Don't even get started Hermione!" Petunia looked at the girl and saw her close her open mouth with an audible snap; she kept her mouth closed, but made a sound that reminded Petunia of a growling dog. "A house elf is a...servant of sorts. Most of the pure-blood families have them."

"Why was it wearing a pillowcase?"

"House elves don't wear clothing; for a house elf to be given clothing is a sign that they have been...fired, essentially, or freed. It's a sign of disgrace, that they have gravely disappointed their master. They are loyal to the house that they serve, no matter if the owner is of that family's blood or not. I have two house elves that I know of, Dobby and Kreacher; you'll get to meet them eventually."

"If pure-blooded wizards have them, why does Severus have one? He told me that he is a half-blood."

"His mother was the last pure-blooded witch or wizard to bear the name Prince. Professor Snape is the Head of the House of Prince. I am the Head of the Houses of Potter and Black. Dudley is, or should be, the Head of the House of Evans." Harry had done some investigating and had found that Lily and Petunia were the first witches born into the Evans line in more than 150 years, making Dudley its Head of House now that he had turned seventeen. If Harry had been born first, he would have added that to the other two houses. "We need to get him to Gringotts to verify that he is the Head of House and see if there are any inheritances that go along with it. There's usually a house or two, plus at least one vault."

Petunia nodded her understanding and looked down at the envelope in her hands. She carefully opened it and found another letter and some photographs.

_Dearest Petunia,_

_I know it is considered uncouth and crass to proclaim one's wealth, but this is the only way I have of showing you that I can provide for you. The photographs are of Prince Manor, the main seat of the House of Prince, located in Kent. I do not need to teach at Hogwarts to provide my earnings, I am quite wealthy without the position. It is, of course, nothing compared to your nephew's wealth, but it is definitely a respectable fortune. Should you agree to continue our courtship after the ritual is complete, you will have no need to worry that I am unable to provide adequately for our future._

_I apologise for the use of the house elf, but they are also a proclamation of wealth._

Petunia set the letter on the table to look at the pictures. They were of a beautiful manor home set in a wonderfully kept garden. Several of the pictures showed that the inside of the house was decorated in simple but elegant furnishings that underscored the presumption of wealth. The last picture was of an apparently updated and fairly modern kitchen with four house elves standing in pride of place before the camera. The elves were moving and Petunia, having never seen many wizarding photographs before, was fascinated. "How are the pictures moving?"

Ron leapt into the conversation with a reasonably concise description of how a wizarding photograph is produced. As Petunia and Dudley listened to the explanation, Harry looked up at Severus and smiled broadly at him. The slight smile that Severus sent back was obviously tinged with relief.

~OOooOO~

Today was the fourteenth and final day of the courtship ritual; Severus was anxiously pacing the floor in front of his hearth, having slept very little the night before. He had today's gift, the last one, ready to send out with Poe, his raven; he hoped that she understood why he had kept it all these years. When it was time for breakfast, Severus slowly walked to the Great Hall and took his seat; the room was mostly empty, it being a Saturday. He watched as the students trickled into the Hall, finding their seats and sitting down for the meal. Petunia and Dudley walked in with Harry and Draco and made their way to the Gryffindor table as a group; it appeared that Draco was going to stay with Harry that day.

Petunia looked up at the head table and smiled at Severus; today she would be receiving her final gift and they would be allowed to speak again. She looked forward to spending the day with him; whether in conversation or in silence, she just wanted to be close to Severus. Harry had told her that she needed to give Severus her answer once she had received her final gift, a gift that was specific to Severus, like the first gift had been specific to her. She could either continue the relationship or decide to decline his offer. Petunia knew that she would accept Severus' offer; the thought of never being with him again was just too painful to think about.

The owls swooped into the Great Hall, followed by one black Raven. The raven searched the tables for his target and then landed gracefully in front of Petunia's plate. She removed the envelope attached to the bird's leg and placed several pieces of bacon onto a small plate for Poe to eat. As the bird ate his treat, Petunia stroked his feathers and stared at the envelope.

Severus was too nervous to eat anything. He watched the owls arrive and then Poe swooped in; he circled for a moment before landing in front of Petunia. She fed Poe and detached the envelope, but didn't open it. His breath caught in his chest as the thought of her refusing his suit occurred to him; he didn't think she would, but that option was still open to her. He watched as she opened the envelope, then he stood and walked slowly to the front of the head table.

_My Dearest Petunia,_

_Today is the final day of our courtship ritual; today we may finally speak with each other after fourteen days of complete silence. My gift to you today is one that I have held dear for many, many years._

_I realise that it is not done to ask for a gift back once it has been given, but this gift means much more to me than any other object I have in my possession. I have kept it, treasuring it, for twenty-eight years, and the thought of never seeing it again is too painful to entertain. I am hoping, once you look your gift over, that you will realise why I hold it in such esteem._

_Today's gift represents me...all my hopes, dreams and fears._

Petunia looked back in the envelope and pulled out a photograph. It was a worn, creased muggle photograph that had been taken many years ago; it was in black and white and it showed three people. There was a very young Petunia standing next to a young boy, who was standing with his arm around the shoulders of a young girl with long wavy hair. The other girl was a nine year old Lily Evans and the boy...the boy was Severus Snape.

Petunia looked at the picture, vaguely remembering the day it was taken.

_**FLASHBACK**_

"_Mum! Please take our picture, please? Tuney has to go off to that school and I'm not going to see her again for a whole ten months! Please?"_

"_Alright, alright. Everyone hold still...Petunia move in a little...a little more. Oh, come on, Petunia, Severus isn't going to bite you!"_

_Petunia scooted in just a little more, so that she was almost, but not quite touching the boy next to her. She couldn't understand what Lily saw in the boy, but, if this made her sister happy, Petunia would do it._

"_Okay, that picture's taken, now one more." Rose Evans lifted the camera once more, but as she took the picture, Severus turned his head to look at the older girl. Unbeknownst to them at the time, the camera quite accurately captured the look of pain on Severus' face as he looked at Petunia. _

_Petunia had left the next morning to go to her school, leaving her sister and Severus behind, never sparing a thought for the nine year old boy who was in the throes of his first crush._

_**END FLASHBACK**_

Petunia stared at the photograph, seeing the look in Severus' eyes. She hadn't known that he had felt that way about her. She sighed heavily; if only she had thought to look more closely at the boy before she left for her first year at school, she might never have married Vernon.

She turned the photograph over and read the words written on the back in an unformed, childish scrawl:

_Me and Lily and Tuney 1969_

_I wish that Tuney didn't hate me like she does_

_I wish she saw that I like her_

Tears rolled down Petunia's cheeks as she looked at the writing on the back of the photograph. If only she had known. She wouldn't have had to hide the fact that she was a witch; maybe Lily would still be alive. Although she couldn't change the past, she could definitely script the future...their future, hers and Severus'.

She looked up at the head table and saw Severus standing in front of it, watching her closely. She rose from her chair and began walking up the aisle to the head table. Whispers accompanied her as she walked; she took her time, not willing to let herself be seen running to the arms of the man waiting for her. As she reached him, Petunia lifted a hand and cupped Severus' face. "I wish I had known. I wish I had thought to look, but I didn't. How could you even consider courting me, knowing what you do about me?"

"I love you, Petunia Evans...I have for years. That summer you came home and you were a little more distant, but I waited. Then, Lily got her letter right after I got mine; the look on your face when you came home for Easter almost devastated me. That look told me that I would never have a chance to win you over. When Lily told me that you were going to marry Vernon Dursley, I gave up; I argued with her and said something to her that I've always regretted. We reconciled the next year, but it was never the same. I tried to get over 'my crush', but I realised that it went far beyond a crush when I heard that Harry was sent to your house to be raised. I wanted to go, to see you, to make sure you were still the person I remembered. I went once, but saw you with Dursley and your son; I gave up all over again."

"I wish that you had spoken to me that day. I might have been able to let you know that things were not as they seemed. I knew you were Lily's friend and, if you had known what was going on, you would have helped. I-I never knew."

Severus dropped down to one knee in front of Petunia, ignoring the gasps and shouts of surprise. "Petunia Evans, I have loved you for years...please say that you will make me the happiest man alive. Please say that you'll marry me." Severus held out his hand, palm open, for Petunia to see what he held. It was a simple golden band with a single stone in the centre, a blood-red ruby.

"Yes...YES!" Severus slid the ring onto her left hand and then stood, pulling her into his arms for a kiss that caused the romantics in the Hall to sigh and most of the boys to pull disgusted faces. Quietly at first, then growing in intensity, Severus and Petunia heard the sound of clapping coming from the Gryffindor table. They parted to see Dudley, Harry and Draco on their feet, applauding them. One by one, the other tables stood and joined in the ovation. Severus looked at Petunia, smiled broadly and pulled her back in for another kiss.

~OOooOO~

**(1) – This is taken directly from Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. **_I always imagined that this was a speech that he gave every year...not just Harry's first year._


	12. Chapter 11

_**Thank you to my wonderful beta, TrippingOverYou**!_

~OOooOO~

A year...it had been a year since that fateful day that the portkey had dropped Petunia, Dudley and Harry in the Entrance Hall at Hogwarts. Never would Severus have thought that his life could be any better than it had been since the day in September when Petunia had agreed to marry him; it was about to become even better. Today, he and Petunia were going to be married. They had decided to celebrate their union at Hogwarts, surrounded by their friends and family. Yes, Severus now had a family. Not only were the other staff members at Hogwarts considered his family, but there were also the Weasleys, the Malfoys and Harry. Somehow, even Neville Longbottom and his grandmother Augusta had wormed their way into his heart.

Lucius was going to perform the ceremony; he had insisted when he had found out that Petunia had accepted Severus' offer. Draco, as his godson was to stand up beside him; Harry was standing up for Petunia. She had insisted that Dudley walk her down the aisle, even though this was not a Christian ceremony. Petunia had never agreed with most of the tenets of the religion, and had insisted upon learning more of the Pagan/Wiccan religion that Harry followed. She hadn't attended any church services until she had begun dating Vernon, and recognised the Pagan religion as being the one her parents and Lily had followed.

Currently, however, Severus was pacing the floor of his sitting room, trying not to let his nervousness get the better of him. This was the most important thing to him, this marriage, and he was truly worried that Petunia would change her mind or that he would somehow mess it up. Lucius stopped him by placing a hand on his arm.

"If it helps you any, I was thinking the same things when I married 'Cissa."

Severus stared at him in confusion. He didn't remember Lucius having been this worried about anything. "You were?"

"Mmhmm...I was terrified that she would find out about my father and what he had forced me to do. I hadn't told her that I had been marked and I was worried that she would find out before the ceremony took place. I didn't know that she already knew...Mother had told her...and she also knew about the abuse. After the ceremony, she took me aside and told me that she knew and that she knew why I had been marked. She worked with me, through all the years, to make sure that I was never discovered as a spy. If it hadn't been for 'Cissa, I would most likely be dead."

Severus shook his head. He had never known that about Lucius; he knew that he had kept the abuse under wraps, but he thought that Lucius had told Narcissa before they were married. He realised that Petunia already knew about all of his mistakes. They had sat down one weekend, not long after she had accepted him, and talked about his past. She let Severus know that she loved him for who he was right then...without his past, he wouldn't be the man she had fallen in love with.

Draco stuck his head into the small tent that was being used as a dressing room and smiled at his godfather. "Are you ready Uncle Sev? It's almost time to start."

Severus took a deep breath and nodded, trying to calm his racing heart. He followed Lucius out of the tent to stand next to him in front of the people gathered to witness his marriage to the only woman he had ever loved. Draco surreptitiously rubbed his hand up and down his back, trying to get him to breathe. The light sound of laughter reached his ears and he turned to watch Harry walk up the centre aisle, followed by Dudley and Petunia. He swore that his heart stopped for a moment before beginning to beat again at a faster pace.

Petunia walked up the aisle, her shaking hand resting lightly on Dudley's arm. She had been scared that Severus would change his mind, that he would realise that she was 'damaged goods', somehow; it never crossed her mind that he would be thinking the same thing. They reached Lucius and Severus and Dudley turned to his mother.

"Be happy, Mum...that's all I want for you. Be happy." He kissed her cheek and moved back slightly to stand behind his mother and Severus as Lucius began speaking.

"We are gathered to bear witness to the marriage and bond between Severus Tobias Snape and Petunia Rose Evans. Who gives this man into the bond?"

Draco spoke his part. "I, Draco Lucius Malfoy, give Severus Tobias Snape into the bond."

"Who gives this woman into the bond?"

Harry and Dudley both spoke. "We, Dudley Evans and Harry James Potter, give Petunia Rose Evans into the bond."

After that, everything seemed to speed along; neither Severus or Petunia paid much attention to the words Lucius was speaking, until he pronounced that they were united in marriage and bond and could seal the joining with a kiss. Severus gently pulled Petunia into his arms and pressed his lips to hers. She surprised him, however when she nipped lightly at his lower lip to get him to deepen the kiss. Cheers and applause accompanied their actions as Severus tightened his arms and plundered her willing mouth. Only the sound of Lucius clearing his throat drew them apart.

"Now, now...save that for later!"

The rest of the day was a blur for both Petunia and Severus. They knew that they had been hugged and kissed by everyone there, including Minerva McGonagall and Augusta Longbottom, and the well-wishers continued up until the time that they left to go on their honeymoon.

Severus had no idea where Lucius and Narcissa were sending them, only that they would definitely enjoy the views. The portkey whisked them away, leaving the rest of the party to wrap things up and end the reception. Draco turned to Harry, never noticing his father gaining everyone's attention.

"Harry, I've waited for two years to ask this, but I finally feel that the time is right. Would you do me the honour of becoming my bond-mate and husband?" He pulled a jeweller's box out of his pocket to hand it to Harry. Harry didn't even open it before he gave Draco his answer.

"Yes!"

~OOooOO~

Severus looked around at the suite that the portkey had dropped them in. The room was large and airy, with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking a huge mountain in the distance. They looked around and, seeing brochures laying on a low table, walked over to pick them up.

Petunia gasped when she saw the top brochure stated that they were in Japan. "Dear God! He sent us halfway around the world!"

Severus chuckled. "Trust Lucius to not do anything small. I have the feeling that we're not going to be leaving this suite very often though. I find that I want you all to myself." He drew Petunia into his arms and proceeded to convince her that he was right.

It didn't take very long to make her see things his way.


End file.
